Communication devices typically provide a mute status selection feature which allows a call participant to activate a mute status that prevents transmission of audio to call participants at other communication devices. For example, the call participant may activate the mute status to prevent background noise in the immediate vicinity from being transmitted. The call participant may also activate the mute status to conduct a private sidebar conversation. When the participant desires to actively communicate during the call, the mute status is deactivated using the mute selection feature.
It is not uncommon for the call participant to lose track of whether the mute status is activated or deactivated. Where the mute status is deactivated and the participant believes it is activated, the participant may inadvertently communicate irrelevant or embarrassing comments to the other call participant or participants. In the alternative situation where the mute status is activated and the participant believes it is deactivated, the participant may begin to speak and the other participants will not hear what is said. There is a delay before the participant realizes he or she is not being heard, and once the error is realized and corrected, the participant will have to repeat what was said and all participants in the call may need to backtrack the comments being discussed.
In the prior art, an audible tone repeated at a regular rate is output to the participant to indicate that he or she is muted. However, these tones are often annoying and may mask the call content with each output. For this and other reasons, improved methods and apparatuses for providing mute status reminders are needed.